The Arcam excelled in background music mode, risking failure only in that its sound flirted with being too engaging to remain in the background. Several times during the…
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The Arcam functioned perfectly throughout the review period. One disc, multiple discs, Play, Stop, Shuffle...you name it. The only functional flaw I observed was that the channels were reversed at both sets of analog outputs. Other than that, no failures, no glitches. It also scored highly in user-friendliness. Both the front-panel controls and the remote are logically laid out, with all operations completely intuitive.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Six-disc CD player with analog and digital outputs and full-function remote control. D/A conversion and digital filter: Crystal Semiconductor 20-bit. Output complement: two pairs of single-ended (RCA) analog outputs, one S/PDIF (RCA) digital output. Analog output impedance: 75 ohms. Other: electrical bus interface for use with Arcam multiroom systems. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, –0.5dB. S/N ratio (CCIR): >105dB. THD (0dB, 1kHz): <0.005%. Output level (0dB): 2.3V. Power consumption: 20VA max.
Dimensions: 16.9" (430mm) W by 4.9" (125mm) H…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog playback: VPI TNT turntable, JMW Memorial tonearm, Benz-Micro LO4 phono cartridge; Well Tempered Reference Record Player, Clearaudio Gamma Gold phono cartridge.
CD players: Parasound CDP-1000, Marantz CD63SE, CAL CL-15, CAL DX-2.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers Phono-1 and AcousTech phono preamps, Sonic Frontiers Line-3 line stage, VAC CPA1 Mk.II preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: VTL Ichiban, VAC Renaissance 70/70.
Loudspeakers: Audio Artistry Dvorak, Magnepan 1.6 Q/R, Thiel CS2.3, Gershman Acoustics Avant Garde.
Cables: Kimber KCAG,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Arcam Alpha MCD's output impedance measured a low 123 ohms over most of the audio band, increasing to 600 ohms below 20Hz. This is still low enough that there should no problems of lightweight bass with the preamplifiers with which the player will typically be used. The player's analog output is absolute polarity-correct, and the maximum output level at 1kHz was 2.5V, almost 2dB above the standard 2V RMS. As BD noted, the left and right outputs were reversed on this sample.
The MCD's error correction was only fair, the player tracking up through track…
BEETHOVEN Piano Concertos 1 & 4
Lang Lang, piano; Christoph Eschenbach, Orchestre de Paris
Deutsche Grammophon B0008725-02 (CD). 2007. Arend Prohmann, prod.; Jrgen Bulgrin, eng. DDD. TT: 74:30
Performance ****
Sonics ****
Lang Lang, piano; Christoph Eschenbach, Orchestre de Paris
Deutsche Grammophon B0008725-02 (CD). 2007. Arend Prohmann, prod.; Jrgen Bulgrin, eng. DDD. TT: 74:30
Performance ****
Sonics ****
The pianist Lang Lang, now 25 years old, spent his fifth through sixteenth years winning competitions and giving remarkable recitals (the complete Chopin Études, for example) in Germany, Japan, and his native China. At 17, he dazzled the classical-music world by substituting at the last minute for Andr Watts at the Ravinia Festival's wildly…
Back on April 13, Stereophile assistant editor Stephen Mejias posted the following thought on his "Elements of Our Enthusiasm" blog: "Is it possible to listen to music and listen to the hi-fi? Or are they two entirely different activities, incomparable and incompatible? Right now, for me, they seem to have nothing in common, whatsoever."
Oh Stephen, Stephen, Stephen, I thought. What a simple question. How easy it is to answer.
Until you actually attempt to do so.
Is audiophilia about the gear or the music? All audiophiles think they know the answer—just as all non-…
Audiophile eyes usually roll when a manufacturer describes a loudspeaker as a "genuine musical instrument." Musical instruments have specific characteristics of pitch and timbre. Ideally, a loudspeaker should be a portal to the music; the speaker itself should be neutral in pitch and timbre—in other words, the opposite of a musical instrument. That the sound produced should be "musical" is a different argument.
When, in 1994, Sonus Faber introduced the limited-edition Guarneri Homage loudspeaker (footnote 1) to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of master violin maker…
Experienced speaker designers working from exemplary measurements made under controlled conditions can usually allow for low-frequency "room bump," off-axis absorptive energy loss (or additive reflective gain), and other predictable conditions typically found in the imperfect listening rooms of most audio enthusiasts, in the full knowledge that the speaker's anechoic and quasi-anechoic measurements will then no longer be accurate. And while the intelligent use of computers has made the measuring of speakers far more sophisticated and accurate, measurements still don't reflect all of the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ring-radiator tweeter with dual toroidal waveguide, 6" (150mm) polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz. Crossover slopes: 6dB/octave. Frequency range: 39Hz–30kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB SPL (2.83V at 1m). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: 30–200W without clipping. Dimensions: Speaker: 15" (380mm) H by 8.25" (210mm) W by 15.25" (390mm) D. Weight: 93.75 lbs (42.6kg). Column stand: 48.5" (1230mm) H by 12" (305mm) W by 15.75" (390mm) D. Weight: not specified.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Grand Prix Audio Monaco turntables; Graham Phantom, Continuum Audio Labs Cobra tonearms; Lyra Titan i, Air Tight PC-1 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW DM25 transport-DAC, Esoteric SA-60 universal player, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead phono preamplifier, darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks, Music Reference RM-200.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX 2.
Cables: Phono:…